4/5/09

Another one of my baking addictions is scones. I just love to make them, finding new flavors, textures to put inside them. They literally are so versatile; you can add almost anything to them, be it sweet or salty or as I'm more inclined to do--both! Once you get the hang of making scones and understanding the less you knead the better--you'll soon notice you will be a pro at making them. Overmixing and over-kneading is a big no no with scones and biscuits. Can't overwork the dough because the butter starts to get warm, and the gluten in the batter starts to form. But practice makes perfect, and over time I became quite good at making them. With that said, I'm always on the lookout for new recipes, new techniques. This latest scone is from Cooks Illustrated, which I found over at a fellow foodie friends' blog Lick the Bowl Good. She made these gorgeous blueberry & white chocolate scones. I switched it up a notch and made mine with raspberries & lemon zest. I also wanted a 'thinner' scone; I wanted more of a croissant. I used less baking powder and more butter to flour ratio...see my all my changes below.

My changes: I followed the recipe, BUT used 2 ts of lemon zest; did not use white chocolate; used raspberries instead of blueberries; used buttermilk instead of milk; used 10TB of grated butter as opposed to just 8 TB; sprinkled tops with raw, thick sugar before baking; used 1 ts of baking powder as I wanted a thinner scone--more like a croissant texture (as you can see in the photo below). The more butter & using buttermilk will make the scone thinner and not as heavy or thick--in case you're interested.

Heavy cream (about 3 tb), optional, for brushing tops of scones before baking
Turbinado sugar for sprinkling to the tops of scones before baking

Adjust an oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Grate the stick of butter on large holes of box grater. Wrap stick of butter where you put your fingers to hold it with some parchment paper.
Place grated butter in freezer until needed.
Place raspberries in freezer until needed. Measure out your 1 cup of buttermilk and refrigerate until needed.
Whisk the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and lemon zest in medium bowl. Add frozen grated butter to flour mixture and toss with spatula until thoroughly coated. Fold in the chilled buttermilk until just combined (do not overmix).
Turn the dough and any floury bits onto a well floured work surface. Lightly flour your hands and the dough.
Knead the dough gently 6-8 times until it just holds together in a ragged ball, adding additional flour as needed to prevent sticking.
Roll dough into approximate 12-inch square.
Then fold dough into thirds like a business letter, using bench scraper or metal spatula to release dough if it sticks to counter top.
Lift short ends of dough and fold into thirds again to form approximate 4-inch square.
Transfer dough to plate lightly dusted with flour and chill in freezer 5 minutes.
Transfer dough to floured work surface and roll again into a 12-inch square.
Sprinkle raspberries evenly over surface of dough, then press down so they are slightly embedded in dough.
Using bench scraper or thin metal spatula, loosen dough from work surface.
Roll up dough, pressing to form tight log, and pinch the seam closed. Lay seam-side down and press log into 12 by 4-inch rectangle.
Using sharp, floured knife, cut rectangle crosswise into 4 equal rectangles. Cut each rectangle diagonally to form 2 triangles.
Transfer the scones to parchment-lined baking sheet.
Brush tops with melted butter and sprinkle lightly with sugar.
Bake until tops and bottoms are golden brown, 18 to 25 minutes, rotating the pan halfway through baking. Transfer to wire rack and let cool 10 minutes before serving.

Dawn, seriously, how is it that you know exactly what I like? Every time I come on to your blog, I find myself salivating at the screen, wishing I had whatever you've made in front of me. These scones are no exception. They look tender, golden, and totally delicious. I love the bit of acidic flavor you've given to cut the richness. How completely fabulous!

Tzatziki sauce would be the perfect spread for the burgers! I'll be whipping some up before I go back to school. Now about those scones, they're wonderful. Especially that rustic picture, too pretty. I'd love to know your favorite recipe, being the expert and all. My friend and I are looking for a really great one, but there are so many options out there. Thanks Dawn!

Oh those look so moist and delicious! Okay, now that is one thing I have not made yet. The combination of these two flavors seems perfect!! Sounds like you had the perfect weekend...at least to me. Sun and sushi. Who could ask for more!! I could live on sushi. :)

When my oven is back working or when I get a new one I am so making these. There is not one thing you post that I don't want to try and you know I've tried a few of your recipes and they were incredible!

These are really beautiful! I love scones but have never made them before. This gives me hope! I will definitely try some time soon. I bet they'd be good with rasberry and white chocolate! yum!I'm from Boston, Ma and have a blog called Nosh and Tell! So nice to see a local with a food blog! :)

I've caught on to the scone craze, but making my first batch of scones. I used strawberries, since I got them in a CSA box and they were a little tart. I knew not to overknead, but I appreciate all of your other tips. I love using buttermilk, so I am going to try your version. They look light and flakey... beautiful job!

After drooling over these for quite some time, I finally made them tonight! I quite like your alterations....I need my scones to be light and fluffy!Anyway, they're delicious.The only thing I changed was to use mixed berries (because I had a bag of them frozen on hand) and I made 32 really tiny scones instead of 8 larger ones.Yum.

I made these last night. They were my very first attempt at scones and I have to say they are fantastic. I will post on my blog and link to you in a couple days but i had to let you know that you have totally converted me into a scone LOVER!!

about vanilla sugar blog

Unique eats, creative recipes, as simple as possible.What drives me to create? Seeing dishes in restaurants, meals created on TV, recipes in cookbooks/online, and I always think to myself why didn’t they add this or why did they leave out that? Love to question, love to research, and love to learn about combining different flavors and textures in recipes.Recipe creations please email: vanillasugarblog@aol.com